The Situation: Jia Song has just made junior partner at her law firm, which means she is on the right track to achieving her goals. As the middle child, and only daughter, of Korean bodega owners, Jia has dreamed of the day that she could enjoy the ridiculous luxuries she witnessed others enjoying as she grew up in New York City. And while Jia is well on her way, finding success with her latest case assignment could be the thing that fast-tracks her career towards becoming senior partner. It seems that the extremely wealthy Park family is in need of a lawyer to assist in a family matter, one that involves infidelity, possible fraud, theft, and so many secrets.
The Problem: The Park family's reputation is enough to make them intimidating. And when Jia meets them, she comes face-to-face with Sora's (the oldest sister) icy demeanor, Suzy's (Sora's twin) knack for reckless and destructive honesty, and Minsoo's (the younger brother) preference for decorum and discretion, while also not being all that helpful. Oh and another thing: the three of them do not get along. But they need Jia's assistance in proving that their father is hiding money from their mother. Seven and Jenny Park are going through a divorce, while Jenny is also dealing with terminal cancer. It is the kind of case that only a future senior partner could handle, but with no one wanting to cooperate, and everyone keeping secrets from Jia, she certainly has her work cut out for her.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction set mostly in New York City, but also has the protagonist travel to Greece, and the Cayman's, as well as Paris, all as part of her effort to discover what the patriarch of the Park family is really up to. It is clear to Jia from the beginning that she was recommended for this case because she, like the Park family, is Korean-American, but she immediately feels out of place in their family's presence. She may be on her way to owning a Birkin bag of her own (a goal she has long been obsessed with), but it takes one cold look from Sora, and a few small verbal jabs from Suzy for her to know exactly where she stands. Jia also thinks back on her place in her own family as the one who did what needed to be done, but was never the priority.
My Verdict: This is an intriguing premise that kept me guessing, for the most part. And even the parts I was able to figure out were not so obvious to be annoying, or boring. If anything, the twists and turns often threatened to be a bit too much, a few of them teetering on the edge of believability. A few reviewers have criticized the author's use of a narrator that, in some chapters, chose to address the reader directly to offer cryptic explanations and apologies for their own role in the story. And while this was not my favorite choice, I did not hate it as much as some other readers did. My main issue would be Jia's lack of maturity, or, as I mentioned before, some of the plot reveals that I had a hard time believing.
Favorite Moment: When confronted with a former boyfriend, Jia manages to hold it together when it is most important.
Favorite Character: Pretty much everyone in this story is either deeply flawed, or holding onto some secret that could be their own undoing, or the undoing of someone they care about. Everything is about money, all of the time, even when it seems like it is not, and it felt like the worst side of nearly every characters was on full display.
Recommended Reading: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González would be a nice follow-up.
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